Located in Xuyên Mộc District’s Bình Châu Commune, the passage has not been dredged since 2015 due to lack of funds in the local budget.

Only fishing boats with an engine capacity of under 90 horsepower can enter in and out of the fishing port during high tides. However, if the boats go through the passage, boat owners have to hire two tugboats to pull them.

Nguyễn Đình Luyến, who lives in Bình Châu’s Bình Hòa Hamlet, has two iron-hull fishing boats, one with an engine capacity of 1,050 horsepower for fishing in Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu, where it could not leave the fishing port for more than one month because of the silt.

He built his boats with a bank loan of VNĐ17 billion ($749,000), and has to pay principal and interest of VNĐ100 million ($4,400) every month.

Nguyễn Văn Triệu, chairman of the Bình Châu Commune People’s Committee, said the passage of the Bến Lội – Bình Châu fishing port is 8 metres wide, so bigger boats with more than 90 horsepower cannot enter or leave.

Of the commune’s nearly 600 fishing boats, more than 200 are docked inside the port, he said.

Because of the silted passage, most fishing boats in Xuyên Mộc District have had to unload their catch at other ports in the province or at the Lagi Port in Bình Thuận Province.

The docking at other ports requires an additional expense of VNĐ10 million ($440) for a fishing trip, according to boat owners.

Thousands of labourers such as porters, traders and fish cleaners who work at the port have also been affected.

Under the district petition, the provincial People’s Committee has approved allocating VNĐ5.5 billion ($242,000) for the district to dredge the passage at fishing port. – VNS